The present invention relates to a method and system for transmitting a position information from a mobile terminal of a mobile communication network such as a UTRAN (UMTS Radio Access Network) via a network element to a network node such as an SGSN (Serving GPRS Support Node) of the GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) or an MSC (Mobile Switching Center) of the GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) or their equivalents in the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System).
Third generation mobile telecommunications systems aim at providing end-users, apart from terminal and personal mobility, with enhanced services. Compared to second generation systems, enhancement that will cover features all the way between the end-user and core network elements are required, i.e. from mobile terminals to radio access and fixed networks.
FIG. 1 shows a mobile communication system such as a UMTS system, wherein a UTRAN system is connected to a GPRS-based core network and to a GSM-based core network. According to FIG. 1, a mobile station (MS) 1 is radio-connected to at least one base station (BS) 2 which is connected to a Radio Network Controller (RNC) 3 of the UTRAN. In Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) based systems, the MS 1 can be connected to several BS 2 simultaneously due to macrodiversity.
The RNC 3 is connected to a mobile switching center (MSC) 5 of the UMTS or GSM core network which provides access to a circuit-switched network such as a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) 8 or to a packet-switched network such as the Internet 9.
Additionally, the RNC 3 is connected to an SGSN 6 of the UMTS or GPRS core network. The SGSN 6 is connected to a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) which provides access to the Internet 9.
Thus, the RNC 3 is connected to two non-coordinated core network nodes which may, both establish an active connection with the MS 1.
In the GSM system, a cell information field in the A-interface between a Mobile Switching Center (MSC) and a Base Station Controller (BSC) is bound to certain radio interface messages, called initial layer 3 messages. However, these radio interface messages do not comprise any position information relating to the position of the MS 1.
In the UMTS, the MS 1 may be connected via the RNC 3 of the UTRAN 4 to an independent core network node (CN node) such as the MSC 5 or the SGSN 6. In this case, new services of the CN node may require a position information of the MS 1 for an individual setup of the service.
Moreover, it is possible to use one RRC (Radio Resource Control) connection to two independent higher layer connections (connections at Mobility Management (MM) level or connections at Connection Management (CM) level) of corresponding CN nodes. However, if another service is already provided to the MS 1, the UTRAN 4 does not automatically insert a position information when forwarding the service setup to the CN node, when existing GSM methods are used.
Thus, a mechanism is required to indicate to the RNC 3 that a higher layer protocol data unit (PDU) received from the MS 1 is an initial layer 3 message that should be sent as a complete layer 3 message including an additionally required MS position information to the CN node even if an active connection to the other CN node exists. In addition, the same mechanism can be used for non-initial layer 3 messages if the MS position information needs to be included therein, e.g. in case of a setup of an additional service.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and system for transmitting a position information from a mobile terminal of a mobile communication network via a network element to a network node requiring the position information of the mobile terminal.
This object is achieved by a method for transmitting a position information of a mobile terminal of a mobile communication network to a network node using an intermediate network element, comprising the steps of: setting a control information in a radio interface message, which indicates the requirement of the position information of the mobile station at the network node, transmitting the radio interface message to the network element, checking the control information at the network element, and determining and forwarding the position information to the network node in response to the result of the checking step.
Furthermore the above object is achieved by a system for transmitting a position information of a mobile terminal of a mobile communication network to a network node using an intermediate network element, wherein said mobile terminal comprises:
setting means for setting a control information in a radio interface message, which indicates the requirement of a position information of the mobile station at the network node, and
transmitting means for transmitting the radio interface message to the network element, and
wherein the network element comprises:
checking means for checking the control information; and
determining means for determining the position information in response to the checking result of the checking means.
Accordingly, since a control information is added to the radio interface message, this parameter can be used at the RNC 3 to determine whether a position information should be forwarded to the core network through the corresponding Iu interface.
Thereby, the protocol amendments and additionally required information at the RRC level can be kept short so as to minimize message overhead transmitted via the radio interface.
An additional advantage arises when the position of the MS 1 can be detected more accurately than the cell level at the RNC 3 and new services need such an accurate position information. Then, only a short control information has to be transmitted via the radio interface to the RMC 3 in order to indicate that the position information must be added before forwarding the message to the CN.
A higher layer information may be incorporated into the radio interface message at the mobile terminal, wherein the position information is combined with the higher layer information at the network element in response to the checking result. Thereby, a complete higher layer message including an additionally required MS position information can be forwarded to the network node.
Preferably the control information is provided in a control field used for signaling the requirement of the position information. This control field may have a length of one bit. Accordingly, the required additional overhead of a radio interface message can be restricted to only one bit.
Alternatively, the length of this control field may be more than one bit, if e.g. several accuracy levels of the MS position are possible.
Furthermore, a position measurement information can be incorporated at the MS1 into the radio interface message before transmission, wherein the position information may be determined at the RNC 3 on the basis of the position measurement information.
The position measurement information may also be sent from the MS to the network element, i.e. UTRAN, if no higher layer message is included. This position measurement reporting can be started either by an explicit request from the network element or it can be part of a default measurement started without explicit request from the network element.
In case no position information is required, the higher layer information can be transmitted in a transparent mode to the network node. Thus, the determination of the MS position at the RNC 3 is restricted to those cases, where it is actually required. Thereby, processing capacity is saved and unnecessary delay can be prevented.
Preferably, the network element is a radio network controller of the mobile communication network such as a radio access network of the UMTS, and the network node is a mobile switching center or a serving GPRS support node.